The human race is all but extinct after a war with Partials—engineered organic beings identical to humans—has decimated the population. Reduced to only tens of thousands by RM, a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island while the Partials have mysteriously retreated. The threat of the Partials is still imminent, but, worse, no baby has been born immune to RM in more than a decade. Our time is running out.

Kira, a sixteen-year-old medic-in-training, is on the front lines of this battle, seeing RM ravage the community while mandatory pregnancy laws have pushed what's left of humanity to the brink of civil war, and she's not content to stand by and watch. But as she makes a desperate decision to save the last of her race, she will find that the survival of humans and Partials alike rests in her attempts to uncover the connections between them—connections that humanity has forgotten, or perhaps never even knew were there.

Dan Wells, acclaimed author of I Am Not a Serial Killer, takes readers on a pulsepounding journey into a world where the very concept of what it means to be human is in question—one where our humanity is both our greatest liability and our only hope for survival.

My Thoughts:

Being a fan of the Dystopian genre of books and finding one that I will enjoy can be an overwhelming task, simply due to the sheer amount of novels that are distributed within this genre. When I was first approached about PARTIALS by Dan Wells I was a bit hesitant due to the Sci-Fi edge that this novel appeared to have, but after I was encouraged by another blogger to give a try I was pleased with what I encountered.

Set in the future, PARTIALS is told from Kira, a sixteen-year-old medic-in-training who is two years away from a mandated law that would force her to have children for the greater good. Because in Kira's world there has not been baby that has been able to survive birth in over ten years due to a virus was fabricated from the lab created species, Partials, that became outcasts once they served their intended purpose. When the virus hits close to home Kira makes her sole mission to find the cure and she believes that a Partial is the key.

What I really enjoyed about this story was it's heroine Kira. I could easily understand her and what drove her to find the cure. Yes, she took risks but her passion and conviction was infectious and that is how she was able to convince others to help her. Which brings me to mention the cast of characters in this novel that I enjoyed seeing brought to life before my eyes. Each had their own distinct part in the storyline and some had my heart, like Marcus. Oh dear Marcus, I don't know what to think of his and Kira's relationship. I only know that at some point I became a bit tired of the how Kira seemed to always dismiss him, while professing to love him. I just did not seem a bit fair even though I could understand her motives.

While I found PARTIALS to be an interesting and compelling read that kept me engaged until the very last page, I feel it was bit over loaded with medical procedures and vocabulary. I understand that it is integral to the storyline and while I could relate to it because of my career I feel that it would seem a bit "blah blah blah" to the average reader. That being said I found the concept of the Partials and the RM virus/ Cure to be fascinating and it provided some good nail biting moments. If only it did not drag a bit from time to time I could have really enjoyed this book a bit more. Yet, despite that fact I am coming back for more because I need to know what happens next.

If you are looking for read that has a Dystopian/ Sci-Fi edge then PARTIALS is a good read for you. It is a substantial novel that will have your attention and make your think of what you do if the human race was close to extinction.

Hello! I am the Ravenous Reader and I love to read and find my happiness in devouring as many YA novels as I possibly can. When I am not reading then you can find me chatting up books with my blogging buddy and bookish friends to the point of distraction. I am also extremely fortunate to live in an area that has a plethora or YA events that I love chronicling on my Instagram account.

2 comments:

I've read Paritals, and I must say, that I thought the medical terminology was a little confusing for me. It didn't ruin the whole book for me, but I thought that it wasn't needed. I also agree that the book dragged a little in places, but I overall liked it as well! Fabulous review. =)